Barefoot Vegan Magazine March_April 2017 issue

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a
salaried employee, finding and connecting
with your tribe can help you achieve
professional success, writes Katrina Fox.
“Who would you like to hang out with, regardless of whether
they’re paying you or not?”
This was the question my friend Melissa asked me three
years ago. After a career in journalism that spanned 14 years
at the time, I was looking at ways to utilise my skills in
different ways. I’d started hanging out with small business
owners and entrepreneurs and discovered that many of
them needed help, advice and training in how to get
featured in the media. But while I enjoyed mixing on the
entrepreneurial scene, something was missing. I wasn’t
wildly passionate about helping just any business owner –
even if they were paying me.
The marketing books I was devouring urged the need to
find your ‘target market’ or ‘ideal client’. It all felt a bit
clinical and even a tad military: Locate suitable mark, take
aim, then fire – only with sales material instead of bullets.
Melissa’s question allowed me to stop pussyfooting
around trying to market to ‘everybody’ in the small business
sector and attempting to force relationships that weren’t a
fit.
“Vegan business owners and entrepreneurs,” I replied,
without hesitation.
From then on, everything started to fall into place. I
wrote a book on how to start and grow a business run
on ethical vegan principles. Then I had the idea to start
a content website providing success tips for vegan
entrepreneurs, followed by a podcast in which I
interview successful vegan business owners about their
challenges and strategies. As a result I picked up regular
writing gigs for vegan publications (including this one)
and booked clients for my PR consulting, editing and
proofreading services. I also received invitations locally
and internationally to speak at vegan events and got
quoted or featured in the media as an expert in vegan
business.
I was personally and professionally fulfilled because
I’d found my tribe. Every piece of content I created,
every nugget of advice I offered, I did so with joy,
passion and a desire to truly help my clients. I no longer
saw them just as customers to sell to, but as my
community, on a shared mission to create a kinder
world.
This shift in perspective was crucial to growing my
business. Over time as I consistently delivered highquality,
high-value, relevant offerings, both free and
paid, I was rewarded with thousands of downloads for >
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